Prelude: the beginning and end of meditation

Is a day to live more precious than a lifetime? What can we offer today that is worthy and fills the spirit with zeal and brightness? It all begins with a first breath. We breathe a million breaths but don't know that in this sacred bridge that holds life and death -- there is love and understanding. There is wisdom and compassion. There is insight into the nature of fear and what keeps us from living free of any obstacles and barriers. This breath that we take in is the universe -- millions of years of stillness and silence -- of eruptions and noise. It is the ground that connects every living being on this planet and every particle that extends beyond.

How can we forget all the suffering that has anchored our hearts in stagnation and pain? We cannot forget -- We can breath. We can accept. Only within our unwavering heart, can we embrace the harshest words and the most agonizing sorrow. There is really no way out but in.

But who is the one that wishes to see all this? It is too overwhelming and it takes tremendous energy and sensitivity. Breathng in life -- breath it in and let it carry you -- this is the spirit that will liberate you and guide you and show you the way through the darkness of night. There is no happiness without pain and no pain without happiness.

Breathing out means letting go. Have you lived in such a way that you can release and smile with serenity? Do we grasp our out breath and realize that it is the door that leads us into the unknown? What happens if you breathe out and never breathe in? In that space is eternity and nothing can take this away from you. It is your birth right to be free. Free from suffering. Free of fear. Free to love. Free to share genuine human relationship. Free to admire the sunset. Free to live.This is meditation. Don't be fooled by postures and teachers. They can share their experience but they can never give it to you. It is yours to take and yours to lose. Believe in yourself. Inside the grain there are leaves and roots and fruits. There is rain and fire and air. The whole universe is waiting to bloom through you.